Freshman goes primetime

HEADSHOT: Freshamn Dash Dobrofsky poses for a professional headshot, which is necessary for acting auditions. (IMDB.com)

Lillian KalishStaff Writer

For most high school students television is part of their daily routine. For freshman Dash Dobrofsky watching television is replaced by being on television Dobrofsky was featured in a role on ABC’s acclaimed show “Modern Family” on Thursday, March 22, which earned him a larger audience than ever before and gave him experience in working for a major media presentation. Dobrofsky played Manny’s (Rico Rodriguez) “cool kid” friend who only hung out with him to ogle at his mother Gloria (Sofia Vergara). Though his role on last week’s episode was only a guest appearance, his experience on set helped him get a better sense of the professional acting world.

“Sofia Vergara is really pretty in real life,” Dobrofsky said, laughing. “Everyone on set was really nice. It was a great experience working with those actors.”

While Dobrofsky’s appearance on the episode only lasted a few minutes, he hopes to become a recurring character on the two-time Emmy award winner series.

“For now it is a maybe,” Dobrofsky said. “It’s really tough with acting. I might do around 150 auditions and only get a few callbacks. I always tell myself not to get mad if I don’t get another audition. I just have to be one hundred percent persistent.”

Thursday’s show wasn’t Dobrofsky’s first appearance on television. He has been acting since he was twelve. However, the episode did draw his biggest audience yet with a whopping 11.7 million viewers.

“I started doing plays when I was younger and then I realized I wanted to act for money,” Dobrofsky said. “I enjoy being in front of the camera and getting to play someone else. My agent wanted to represent me and helped me get auditions. I got my first auditions for commercials for Verizon and other products. I guest starred on ‘Children’s Hospital’ on Adult Swim. I also did a movie called ‘Pyro and Klepto’ with AFI [American Film Institute].”

Dobrofsky said that he prepares for every role, no matter how small.

“I always try to become the character before I learn the lines,” Dobrofsky said. “It’s never really that difficult to get into character, but I worry more about the role than the script. I just try to become the character around the house and make it a part of my daily life. I always want to learn the tone of the character and the story first and then work on the craft itself. I always like to get a feel for it first.”

However, Dobrofsky said that preparing for the role of Griffin on “Modern Family” wasn’t very difficult. He acted as any young teenage boy would when coming face-to-face with the beautiful actress.

“I pretty much acted the same way as I would,” Dobrofsky said. “If the directors feel you play the role right, they just adjust the cast to fit the scene.”

Besides spending his days acting, Dobrofsky also participates in sports at Samo, which he says sometimes conflicts with his acting schedule.

“I’m really into water polo and volleyball, but the only downside about acting is that I have to miss a lot of school for auditions,” Dobrofsky said. “I usually miss fourth or fifth period and sometimes I have to miss practice. I always have to balance my time, but that’s what I have to do to be able to act.”

Though acting does sometimes create a hectic schedule for Dobrofsky, his passion is one he wouldn’t trade for anything. Dobrofsky recounts his first callback for a role — the moment that confirmed everything he had worked so hard and risked so much for.

“I remember the first time I got called back for a commercial. It was the most exciting moment of my life. It felt amazing that I could finally do what I love. I could finally be in front of the camera,” Dobrofsky said while chuckling.

For Dobrofsky, appearing on “Modern Family” was more than just being able to revel in Sofia Vergara’s beauty, it was an experience that showed him what it is like to work on a professional prime time sitcom. As Dobrofsky continues to audition for roles, he learns more and more about the difficulty of working in television and the indescribable joy a working actor feels when getting the job of a lifetime.